'We need to take a closer look': Alberta's premier speaks on Indigenous deaths in police custody

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the United Conservative Party AGM in Edmonton on Oct. 22, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.

Wells, a 42-year-old Blood Tribe man, died following a confrontation with three officers at the Carriage House Inn on Sept. 17.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the officers' use of force.

ASIRT's stated mandate is to investigate "incidents involving Alberta's police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct."

Saturday, on her radio program Your Province Your Premier, Danielle Smith said ASIRT "is the mechanism" for situations requiring an outside, independent investigation.

"That's what ASIRT is. They're an independent investigator. ... I've been pleased with their work," she said.

"They have come back oftentimes and recommended charges, and then it's up to the Crown prosecutors to determine whether there's a reasonable likelihood of conviction.

"Let's see what they discover and then we can work on the findings after that."

On the program, Smith noted the Assembly of First Nations chief has reached out to premiers.

"She's expressed concern over the number of Indigenous individuals who have died in police custody," she said.

"As I understand it, we have had five such cases in Alberta in recent years.

"We're working on setting up a phone call with her, so that myself, my public safety minister and my Indigenous affairs minister can just get some feedback on what they would hope to see happen."

Smith said a closer look is needed.

"I don't want to pre-judge the outcome before that investigation is complete, but we have multiple incidents. We need to take a closer look, to see if there's anything more we can do," she said.

The incident in question

A report from ASIRT has said Wells was unarmed when he was approached by an officer in the Carriage House Inn's lobby.

The report also said he was not told to identify himself or that he was being detained.

As the interaction continued, police tried to grab Wells, resulting in a fight where he was tackled and punched.

After he was handcuffed on the floor, emergency crews found he was unresponsive.

He died at the scene.

In a statement, the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (CDLA) has noted discrepancies between what the Calgary Police Service (CPS) has shared about the incident and what ASIRT has released.

CPS has stated only one officer deployed a conducted energy weapon, while ASIRT has stated two officers used them.

The CDLA noted CPS also omitted that EMS injected Wells with a sedative while he was still lying face down, restrained and wearing a spit mask.